Barizan

It would be a mistake to under-estimate the quality of the performance that Barizan put in when he just failed to make all in the Triumph Hurdle. The temptation is to conclude that he stole a march on his rivals, that they allowed him build up an easy lead that was almost unassailable, but that might be a mistake. Kicked out of the gate by Tom O'Brien, he was quickly into a good rhythm and had established a significant lead by the time they started down the back straight. Still looking likely to hold on as they rounded the home turn, Soldatino began to close on the approach to the last, but he still looked up against it, when Barizan got the last all wrong and had all of him momentum halted. That enabled Soldatino move past, but there was a lot to like about the manner in which Barizan got going again and ran all the way to the line.

A winner over seven furlongs as a two-year-old for John Oxx, Barizan was quite prolific early this season over hurdles for Evan Williams, winning four times before October before his winning run was brought to an end by Pistolet Noir in the Grade 2 Prestbury Hurdle at Cheltenham's November meeting. He had been off the track between then and last Friday, he can obviously go well fresh, but he also thrives on his racing, and he will be interesting if he takes his chance in the Glen Livet Hurdle at Aintree, where the flatter track should play to his tearaway tendencies.

19th March 2010

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